Draft-rigging for cars



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. H. MINER. DRAFT RIGGING FOR CARS.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

W. H. MINER.

DRAFT RIGGING PORDARS.

.No. 461,443. Patented 0 01:. 20, 1891.

h J71 7/ e 713 071- ITED TATES DRAFT-RIGGING FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,443, dated October 20, 1891. Application filed March 6,1891. Serial No. 383,980. on model.)

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I WILLIAM II. MINER, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Draft-Riggings for-Railway- Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in draft-rigging for railway freight-cars.

to In the practical construction of cars it is essential that the draw-bar be connected against both pullingand bufling strains to the draft-timbers through aspring or springs in order to provide a'gradual or cushioned :5 absorption andtransmission of strains and shocks to the body of the car, that the extent of this'spring motion of the draw-bar should be only about two inches, and that the drafttimbers should be placed astride the draw- 2o bar and its springs and as closely together as practicable. The above conditions and the reasons therefor are'well known to those skilled, in the art. Difficulty has, however, heretofore been experienced in so constructing the draft-rigging that it will withstandthe enormous strains to which it is subjected, and at the same time properly cushion, absorb, and transmit the strains and shocks to the body of the car.

The object of myinvention is to provide a draft-rigging of a simple, strong, and efficient construction, embodying great buffing and pulling resistance, and providing for agrad ual or cushioned absorption and transmission of strains and shocks to the body of the car. To this end my invention consists in a draw-bar having springs arranged tandem between the draw-timbers and through which the strains and shocks, either pulling or buff- 40 i'ng, are gradually absorbed and transmitted to the draft-timbers.

It further consists in the combination of the draw-bar and draft-timbers with graduated springs arranged tandem.

lt further consists in the novel devices and novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims/ In the accompanying drawings, which form a part. of this specification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embody- --springs D (Z'.

ing my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 2 2.0f Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig.4 is a horizontal section on lineat 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one of the stop devices. ,In thedrawings, A represents-one of the cross-sills or frame-pieces of the car-body; B, 6c the draft-timbers, and C the draw-bar. C011- nected to the draw-bar 0, preferably by a threaded nut c, is the draw-stein c, which passes through the coil-sprin gs D d and D d, the springs I) (l and I) (1' being arranged tandem or one behind or at the end of the other. The draw-bar (I is further provided with a pocket C, secured thereto by gibs c which fit in slots 0, formed in the draw-bar, and also by a rivet or pin 0 which passes through the pocket and draw-bar C. The followers F F for the springs 1-) d fitwithin the pocket 0. F F are the followers for the G G G are the stops against which the several followers 5 F F F abut, the intermediate stop G servingboth for the follower F and the follower F The stops are rigidly and firmly secured to the drafL-t-imbers B by bolts 9. They are furtherstrengthened and held in place by lugs or projections g, which project into suitable gains or recesses in the draft-timbers and through the metal strengthening-plates B, with which the draft-timbers B are lined on theirinner faces. The metal plates B are preferably from one- 8 5 fourth to three-eighths of an inch in thickness and about six inches in width, and serve not only to strengthen the draft timbers at the place where they are weakened by the recesses 11 cuttherein to receive the stops G G, but

they also serve to'p'revent the followers F F from chafing the sides of the draft-timbers, as

Well as to distribute the strains equally to the various bolts g, which pass through thedrafttimbers and stops, and also to afford a firm support and bearing fortheiugs g, with which the stops are furnished.

The re-enforcing plates B need ordinarily only extend back as far as the cut-away portion I) of the draft-timbers; but they may be extended, if desired or required, back to the stop G as indicated in dotted lines on Fig. 4: at I).

K K are guide-plates for the followers F,

F, and F These guide-plates K are firmly and rigidly secured or bolted to 4 the stops G, G, and G and serve not only as guides for the followers, but also tosecureall the stops rigidly and firmly together, and thus to strengthen and support the same individually. These guide-plates K thus serve to distribute the shocks or strains communicated to one stop by a follower to all the other stops, so that they all mutually coact together to resist the shock or strain and transmit it to the draft-timbers. i

The flanged or chambered portion g of the middle stops G G serve as a guide for the 'follower F The rear stop G is or may be reenforced against bufiing shocks or strains by the block or timber B secured between the draft-timbers B B. i

The pocket 0' preferably consists of a wrought-iron bar about five inches wide by one and one-eighth inches thick, bent into a loop form, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. The coiled spring D is preferably composed of a one and one-fourth inch crucible steel rod coiled six and on e-fou rthinches outsidedia-meterand eight inches long and havingtwo inches motion or compression. The inner coil d is preferably made of thirteen-sixteenths inch diameter crucible steel coiled three and fiveeighths inches outside diameter and seven inches long and having two inches motion. The coiled spring I) is preferably made of one and one-fourth inch crucible steel rod, coiled six and one-fourth inches outside diameter, seven inches long and having'two inches motion, and the smaller inside coiled spring (1 is preferably made of one and thirteen -sixteenths inch crucible steel rod coiled three and five-eighths inches outside diameter and eight inches long-and having two inches motion. When thus constructed, the graduated springs D cl and D dwill give an initial spring-resistance to either bu ffing or pulling strains of about twenty-three thousand pounds .at-eaeh end of the car, which will be re-enforced after one inch of the spring motion is exhausted to about-fortysix thousand pounds at each end of the car, making the complete capacity of spring-resistance ninety-two thousand pounds per can I prefer to construct the shorter springs d and I) of each pair as above described in relationto their relative length and extent of motion or compression, so that these two shorter springs may not become solid when the two longer springs I) d have become solid or been compressed to their fullest extent; but in this, regard the extent'of compression of the shorter springs may be varied without departing from my invention. 0

By thus combining the graduated springs D d and D (2', arranged tandem, with the draw-bar, the followers, stops, and draft-timbers I produce a practical device for absorbing and withstanding both light and heavy shocks to the cars, whether they be pulling or buffing shocks, and at the same'timc the draft-rigging is given such strength that it is rendered practically impossible to injure the draft-rigging without wrecking the car. It should also be observed that by my invention the graduated spring-resistance itself greatly reduces the liability of breakage or injury to any part of the draft-rigging. "By the tandem arrangement 'of the graduated springs the draft-timbers B B are brought close together and adjacent to the draw-bar which fits between them, so that in this respect my draft-rigging is equally strongasthoughonly' a single pair of springs were employed. By

my tandem arrangement of the two pairs of graduatedsprings D d and D"d :a;ii'd their combination with their followers augdstops each pair of'graduat'ed springs D (Z or D d", considered each pair asa whole,is made to act simultaneously with the other, the sameias though the two pairs were arranged in. par.

allel, so that although the springs are arranged in tandem the total amount of compression or spring motion is no more than it would be if they were aranged parallel, and at the same time by this tandem arrangement and combination of the graduated springs I am enabled" to cause the heavy spring D of one pair to actsimultaneously with the light spring d of the other pair, whereas if the two pairs of springs D d and D d were arran ed in arallel instead of tandem the two'heavy springs must be made to act simultaneously with each other. The great advantage, however, of this tandem arrangement of the springs in their combination with the draw-bar and draft-timbers is that it enables the draft-timbers to be brought closelyadjacent to the draw-bar, a condition ders of the intermediate stop G against which the followers Fand F abut to be farther separated or apart.

The follower F may preferably have shouldersf to fit the guide-flanges g of the intermediate stop G: but these gains or shoulders may be omitted, if desired, as mayalso the guide-flanges g", .in which case the guide plates K would serve as guides for the'follower F the same as ihey do for' the other followers F F 1*. This will be clearly understood from Fig. 3. stem 0 I provide the usual guide-sleeves c for the springs d and d.v

To brace the draft-timbers B and hold them rigidly in proper relation to each other, 1 pro vide transverse brace=plates B which are or may be secured to the draft-timbers bythe same bolts 11 which attach the draft-timbers B to the longitudinal beams or timbers A of the car-body.

Surrounding the draw- 'l he re-enforcing plates B have or should draw-bar C, followers bearing against the stops.

1 claim- ".11. In a draft rigging for railway-cars, the

,eombination, with the draft-timbers, of a draw-bar and spring-arranged tandem for absorblng and transferring the pulling and buffing strains or shocks from the draw-bar to the draft-timbers, a pocket secured to said draw-bar and surrounding one of said springs,

:and a draw-stem extending through both said springs and likewise secured to the drawbar, followers, and stops, said followers and stops being at each end of both said springs for conjointly compressing both said tandemsprings by either a pulling or buffing strain, substantially as set forth.

2. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination, with the draft-timbers provided with stops, of a draw-bar provided with, a pocket, and a draw-stem secured thereto, stops and followers, and graduated springs arranged tandem for conjointly absorbing and transferring either pulling or bufling strains or, shocks from the draw-bar to the draft-timbers, said stops and followers being arranged at each end of both said tandem springs and said pocket surrounding one pair of said graduated springs, substantially as specified.

3. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination, with the draft-timbers provided with stops, of a draw-bar provided with a pocket and draw-stem and two pairs of graduated springs D (Z and D" (1, arranged tandem and operating conjointly under-either pulling or buffing strains, substantially as specified.

4. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combinatiomwith the d raft-ti in hers, ofa drawbar and two pairs of graduated springs I) (Z and D (1', arranged tandem, the heavy spring of one pair acting simultaneously with the light spring of the other pair under either pulling or buiiing strains, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of draft-timbers B, having stops G, G, and G2 secured thereto, of a F F F F adapted to abut against said steps. a coiled spring between said followers F F, and another coiled spring between said followers F F, substantially as specified.

(3. The combination of draft-timbers B, having stops G, G, and G secured thereto, of a draw-bar followers F F F F, adapted to abut against said stops, a pair of graduated Springs 1) (Z between said followers F F, and a pair of graduated coiled springs D d between said followers F F, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of draft-timbers B, having stops G, G, and G secured thereto, of a draw-bar C, followers F F F F adapted to abut against said stops, a pair of graduated springs D d between said followers F F, and a pair of graduated coiled springs I) (1 between said followers F F said springs d being longerthan said springs d D, substantially as specified.

8. The combination, with draft-timbers B, having-re-enforcing metal plates B secured thereto on'their inner faces, of stops seeu red to said draft-timbers, a draw-bar, spring, and followers, said stops having lugs or pro ections projecting through said re-enforcing plates B, substantially as specified.

9. The combination, with draft-timbers B, having stops G, G, and G secured thereto, of guide-plates K, secu red to said stops, drawbar 0, followers F F F F and springs .D

and I) (1', arranged tandem, substantially as specified.

10. ,The combination of draft-timbers B, having re-enforeing plates l3, stops G, .G, and G furnished with lugs or projections g, guide-plates K, sec-u red to said stops,draw-bar 0, having draw-stem c, followers F F F E, and graduated springs I) (l and D d, substantially as specified.

1]. The combination of draft-timbers B, having re-enforcingplates B, stops G, G, and G furnished with lugs or projections g, guide-plates K, secured to said stops,draw-bar C, having draw-stem c, followers F F F F; and graduated springs D'd and D (1, said stop G having a chambered or flanged portion g to serve as a guide for said follower F substantially asJspecified.

Dated at Chicago, February 14,1891. 

